Covalent Bond
by GoodOl'WhatsHerName
Summary: Jillian Holtzmann is a brilliant engineer and human firecracker, so it's no surprise when she's evicted from her apartment. What is surprising is that neat and orderly physicist, Erin Gilbert, offers her a place to stay. That's what friends are for after all, right? (Holtzbert, PTSD/Trauma mention, rated M for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

Erin blew gently at the steaming Styrofoam cup in her hand. She tried her hardest to keep her coffee from spilling, but the subway was crowded that morning, and shuffling people paid no mind to their surroundings. It was just barely 7 in the morning and the train car was filled with screaming children and loud people on cell phones. Public transportation wasn't exactly Erin's favorite, but it was much faster than walking or taking a cab. She simply sipped at her coffee and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on her mental agenda she had planned out for the day. First thing on the agenda: get ready for work. Check. Second thing: grab coffee at the gas station next to her apartment. Check. Third thing: get to work. She was in the process of that. Fourth thing: finish the research she had started last night.

Before Erin could get to the fifth item on her list, a hyperactive little boy whizzed by, bumping Erin's arm and causing her to spill coffee down the front of her shirt.

"Shit!" Erin stared down at the mess on her shirt, mouth agape. This was definitely not how she wanted to start her morning. By the time the train had reached her stop, the spill on her shirt no longer burned. She got up and hastily exited the train, throwing her cup into the nearest available trashcan. She wasn't even interested in finishing it anymore.

When Erin had reached the outside world, the cool morning air made her shiver. The time of day combined with the long shadows of skyscrapers creating a canopy made this particular September morning the coolest of the summer thus far. Erin held onto her satchel strap with both hands and ducked her way through the foot traffic. She was already done with people for the day, and didn't feel like meeting any of their gazes. By the time she had reached the Ghostbusters headquarters, the coffee on her shirt was freezing. Erin pushed open the door to the firehouse and practically slammed it behind her.

Patty, who was sitting on an old couch reading a book, was the first to notice Erin, "Good morning!" She greeted, looking up from her book to offer a big smile.

"Morning." Erin offered a halfhearted smile, which quickly faded.

Patty noticed the lack of enthusiasm, "You ok Erin?"

"Yeah. I just-" She let out a sigh and gestured to the mess on her shirt, "rough morning."

"Oh honey," Patty whistled, "You'd better hurry and rinse that."

Erin simply nodded and kept walking. She didn't really care much for the shirt anyway. She made her way past Kevin's desk and debated stopping and talking to him. As she got more used to him, Erin's crush on Kevin had faded. Sure, she still found him unbelievably attractive, but she didn't get nervous talking to him anymore. His personality was more of what she sought in a friend rather than a partner, and she had come to terms with the fact that that was all she really wanted. Still, she gave him the same halfhearted smile she had flashed earlier. Kevin looked up from his paperwork as she passed and gave a cheeky smile before returning to his work. Erin noticed that her was just drawing pictures of his dog, but decided not to comment.

Erin looked up and saw the staircase that lead to Holtzmann's lab. Holtzmann. If anyone could cheer her up, it was the eccentric engineer. Holtz always knew how to draw a smile out of Erin, and, sometimes, did it unintentionally. Ever since the Ghostbusters had saved New York, Erin found herself in Holtz's lab more often. She was always eager to see what new, most likely dangerous, contraption the inventor was working on.

Erin made her way up the stairs, but was immediately disappointed when she reached the top. All of the lights were off, and the engineer was nowhere to be found. Erin could feel her heart sink a little. As she made her way back down the stairs, she noticed that Abby had emerged from one of the back rooms and was now seated next to Patty, working out some statistics on a clipboard.

"Hey Abby." Erin greeted.

Abby turned her head, "Oh, hi Erin!"

"Do you know where Holtz is?" The physicist asked.

"She's not in her lab?" Abby was puzzled, "She's usually the first one here."

Erin shook her head.

" _That_ explains why it's so peaceful," Patty commented, "She would've blown something up by now."

"Maybe she's finally catching up on sleep," Abby suggested, "She threw a fit when I told her that she can't sleep in the lab anymore and that she needs to actually go home at night."

"I'll call her and see what's up." Erin offered. She sat down on the arm of the couch and dialed. After a minute of ringing, she finally picked up.

"Hello?" The familiar, warm voice came through.

"Hey Holtzmann, it's Erin. Where are-"

"Hello? I can't hear you, can you speak up?"

Erin obliged and spoke a bit louder, "It's Erin. I was wondering where y-"

"I still can't hear you." She interrupted.

Erin was close to yelling, "It's Erin! We just wanted to know w-"

"Hello? I still can't hear you! Try shouting!"

"WHERE ARE YOU AT?" Erin shouted into her phone, drawing looks from everyone in the room.

There was chuckling at the other end, "You just got Holtzmanned! Ha! It's actually voicemail," There was more laughter, "leave your name and whatever."

There was a beep and then a computerized voice giving instructions on how to leave a voicemail.

Erin hung up and pinched the bridge of her nose, disappointed in herself for being so easily duped.

"Was that her voicemail?" Abby asked.

Erin nodded dejectedly.

"I probably should have warned you about it." She let out a little chortle, "it gets Kevin every time." Abby let out a sigh and leaned back in her seat, "Well, one of us should probably go get her. We have 3 hauntings to get to today, and I'd hate to leave without her."

"Agreed." Erin chimed in.

"Well," Abby started, "I have some phone calls to return. Do you want to go get her, Patty?"

Patty shook her head animatedly, "Oh hell no. I mean, I love Holtzy, but last time I went over there…" She trailed off, "Let's just say that the fire department makes frequent visits for a reason."

"I'll go." Erin piped up, almost a little too eager.

"You sure?" Patty asked, "I left the place without eyebrows last time."

"I'm sure." She chirped, hopping up from her seat.

Patty let out a hearty laugh, "You're brave, Erin, I'll give you that!"

* * *

Erin had only ever been to Holtzmann's apartment once. They had shared a cab ride after a night of bar hopping about a month ago, and Erin, despite her intoxication, had managed to commit the location to memory. She never saw the inside, just a buzzed Holtzmann walking up the exterior staircase to the second story of the two-story building. Erin had spent nearly two hours talking about her life that drunken night. The gin and tonics made it much easier for her to open up to the inventor whom was so keen to listen. Holtzmann just sipped on her beer and listened, nodding at the right social cues and adding slurred commentary. Erin apologized several times the next morning, but Holtz said that she didn't mind. She liked listening to her. Whenever Holtzmann would say things like that, Erin couldn't help but smile. She was so glad to have finally found good friends who truly liked and understood her.

Erin slowed the Ecto-1 to a stop across the street from the apartment complex. She could see Holtz's rusty pre-owned car parked alongside the street. The whole building held about 10 different units and was mostly brick, with a few missing here and there. It was in one of the poorer neighborhoods, and seemed like the kind of place you wouldn't want to be walking around at night. Erin turned off the engine and got out of the car, making sure that she locked the doors. She crossed the street and walked through the patchy grass. As she walked up the rusting metal stairs, she could overhear one of the residents having a heated argument about someone's baby mama. This definitely wasn't the kind of place Erin was used to. She came from a rather prim and proper upbringing where you were careful not to make your arguments or mistakes public. The last thing her parents wanted to do was ruin the Gilbert name, and they raised their only daughter the same way. That was part of the reason why they had sent Erin to therapy when she started seeing "ghosts". Still, though, Erin kept an open mind. The place suited Holtzmann's carefree attitude, and, Erin assumed, was a very affordable place to live. Holtz never needed anything fancy, just a place to let her creative side flourish.

As Erin reached the correct door, she noticed a paper taped to it. The note was a little faded, but she could still make out the bolded letters—

 **-EVICTION NOTICE-**

 **DUE TO EXCESSIVE DISTURBANCES AND PROPERTY DAMAGE, YOU, JILLIAN HOLTZMANN ARE BEING EVICTED FROM THIS BUILDING. YOU HAVE UNTIL 8/21/16 TO REMOVE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS AND RETURN YOUR KEY OTHERWISE LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL BE INVOLVED. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.**

Erin felt her heart sink. This type of thing wasn't necessarily a surprise, as Holtzmann was a human firecracker, but she still felt awful that she was getting kicked out of her home. Erin looked back at the date. That was nearly 3 weeks ago. Erin knocked on the door just to be sure, and of course, received no answer. Where was Holtzmann? Erin looked back at the street at Holtz's car. She hurried down the rickety staircase to investigate. As she approached the car, she could make out a human-like figure in the front seat. Erin walked up to the driver's side, and cupped her hands between her face and the glass to get a better look. Sure enough, Holtzmann was sleeping in the reclined seat with her arms sprawled out and goggles over her eyes. Her chest rose and fell at a steady rhythm, and her mouth was wide open, suggesting that she was snoring. Her mess of golden curls was still pinned, but several strands had been freed and stuck out in different directions. Erin couldn't help but smile at her adorable colleague and the peacefulness of it all. She stood there, appreciating the moment. After a minute or so, Erin snapped herself out of it, and realized that she had been watching her friend sleep, which was a little strange. Erin knocked gently on the glass, but the dozing engineer didn't move.

"Holtzmann," She called out, knocking a little firmer this time, "Rise and shine!"

Holtz suddenly jolted awake and sat up with frightened look in her eyes. A wave of relief washed over her when she realized it was just Erin, whom was waving timidly. Holtz quickly rolled down her window so they could talk.

"Good morning." Erin greeted, an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The engineer stretched and yawned. She pushed her goggles up onto her forehead and rubbed her sleepy eyes, "What time is it?" She asked, her voice a little croaky from just waking up.

Erin didn't notice that she was staring until Holtz asked the question, "Oh it's umm," she checked her watch, "It's almost 8:40."

"I must've slept through my alarm…" She leaned out the window and squinted up at Erin, "Thanks Dr. Gilbert." She smiled.

"No problem. I have to ask, though, why are you sleeping in your car?" Erin asked, not wanting to be the one to bring up the eviction.

"Because I uh," Holtz bit her bottom lip while she thought it over, "I locked my keys in my apartment." she fibbed, "I didn't want to bother the landlord last night, so I decided to just go car camping."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Erin said. She knew Holtzmann was lying. How long had she been living out of her car?

"What happened to your shirt?" The groggy blonde asked.

Erin glanced down. She had completely forgot about the coffee spill. She had a tendency of forgetting things like that whenever she talked to Holtz, "I spilled coffee on myself this morning."

Holtz examined her for another moment before her face lit up, "Oh! I've got just the thing!"

Holtz turned around and started rooting around in the back seat. Erin hadn't noticed until now, but the car was stuffed. In the passenger seat there were several boxes filled with little pieces of scrap metal, wires, and circuit boards. In the cup holder on the center console was a toothbrush and a nearly empty bottle of green mouthwash. In the back was a pile of clothes and knickknacks, along with various tools. It looked like the collection of things could have very well been the contents of Holtz's apartment. Perhaps she really was living in her car.

"Here you go," Holtz turned back around and handed a t-shirt out the window, "this one's perfect!"

Erin took the gray shirt and held it out to see what was on it. In black letters it said, "Always wear protection" and had a little drawing of safety goggles. Erin chuckled; of course Holtz would own a shirt like that, "It's perfect, thank you."

The engineer winked and gave finger guns before continuing, "Well, we better get to HQ! I've got a new gun I'm working on, and it'll really knock your socks off!" Holtzmann beamed. She readjusted her seat and started her car, "Literally. You should take your socks of in advance."

Erin chuckled and shook her head, "Whatever you say Holtz. I'll meet you there."


	2. Chapter 2

"Woohoo!" Holtzmann hollered as she entered the firehouse dancing around awkwardly. Abby followed her in, lugging their newly filled ghost trap, with Erin close behind.

"That was amazing!" Abby cheered, "Holtz, nice job capturing this one." She held up the trap proudly.

Holtzmann stopped her silly dancing to do an overdramatic bow.

"And Erin," Abby added, "You can really handle that ghost chipper. You tore the second on to shreds!"

Erin smiled, "Thank you. I just feel bad that Patty was standing behind it."

Patty trudged in right on cue. She was covered from head to toe in ooze. She lingered in the doorway for a moment, "I'm going home and taking a shower." She deadpanned, and like that, she left, leaving a trail of gooey green footprints all the way to her car.

"You know," Erin started, "I thought that all of the paranormal activity around the city would've slowed down after we closed the portal and put everything back to normal. These hauntings are starting to become strangely normal…"

"I agree," Abby chimed in, "Holtz and I spent years trying to track down something supernatural. The first noteworthy thing we ever found was at the Aldridge Mansion."

The two sat there for a moment before Holtzmann interrupted. She grabbed the trap from Abby and propped it up on her shoulder, "Maybe that's because not everything's back to normal." Holtz said with an ominous tone. She made a 'mind blown' gesture with the explosion sound effect and all. She spun around and marched upstairs to her lab.

Abby chuckled and shook her head, "Gotta love that mad scientist."

Erin smiled and agreed, but that thought echoed in her mind; what if everything _wasn't_ back to normal?

"I'm going to see if Kevin has any messages for us, or, at least, if he remembered to take any." Abby said.

Erin took off her proton pack and jumpsuit and hung them up on their proper rack near the front door. The sound of bad 80's music floated down from the second floor, which was an indicator that Holtzmann was working. Erin stood there for a moment, contemplating. Usually, she'd head home, considering how late it was, but something weighing on her mind willed her to stay. Erin had forgotten about Holtzmann's living situation until that moment. She couldn't let her friend sleep in her car again; what if something bad were to happen to her? Erin decided to go talk to Holtzmann and figure out what was going on, and besides, it was always intriguing to see what the mad scientist was up to.

As she started up the stairs, the music got louder and she could hear Holtz singing the guitar solo. The engineer was still in her jumpsuit and focused in on a strange metal contraption. She held tweezers in one hand and was leaning in as close as possible, adjusting the delicate wiring. While her upper half was still and concentrated, her lower half, on the other hand, had a mind of its own. Her hips swayed back and forth to the beat of the music in the awkward, jerky fashion that was so indicatively Holtzmann. Erin couldn't help but smile as she took a seat on a stool across from the engineer.

"What are you working on?" Erin asked.

Holtzmann didn't look up from her work, completely fixated on it, "I'm making some slight adjustments to one of my latest inventions." She held out her spare hand, "Soldering gun, please."

Erin glanced around and saw it laying in a messy toolbox to her left. She placed it in Holtz's hand, and she continued working.

"And what exactly would this new invention of yours be?" Erin pressed on.

"It's a surprise," Holtz smirked, "Needle nose pliers, please." She put down the soldering gun and held out her hand again, still, not looking up from behind her yellow lenses.

Erin returned to the toolbox, fished out the tool, and handed it over.

"Thanks. So, did you need something?" Holtz asked.

Erin shook her head, "Not exactly. I just wanted to see what you're up to; how you're doing."

"Hmm…" the engineer hummed.

"Hmm?" Erin hummed back with a questioning tone.

"I'm just a little surprised, Gilbert. I mean, you're usually barking up Kevin's tree right about now…"

Erin shrugged, "Well right now I'm barking up you're tree tonight. What's new in Holtzmann's world?"

A mischievous smirk spread across her face, "Well, I cut my arm on a sharp piece of metal yesterday… Oh, and there's this itchy, swollen rash I've got on my-"

Erin shook her hands frantically, "Whoa whoa, too much information!"

She just shrugged, "You're the one that asked, Dr. Gilbert. Snack, please." Holtz turned her head slightly to the side and opened up her mouth, her eyes still glued to her project.

Erin was puzzled, but then quickly realized what she wanted when she noticed a Pringles can in the toolbox. She rolled her eyes and popped off the top of the nearly empty can. She grabbed one and put it up to the blonde's mouth. Holtz finally looked up from her work and made direct eye contact as she grabbed the chip from Erin's hand with her teeth, a grin, and a wink. Erin could feel her face get hot and a flutter in her chest, although, she wasn't necessarily sure why. She quickly broke eye contact and tried to look at anything except Holtzmann's mouth. Luckily, Abby came up the stairs just in time to save Erin from her embarrassment.

"Hey guys." She greeted as she reached the top of the stairs.

Holtz munched on her chip and gave a two-fingered salute while Erin waved.

"So," Abby started, "wild investigation today, right?"

"Oh yeah, pretty wild." Erin agreed, her heart rate falling back into sync.

"Well, get ready for another wild one tomorrow. We got an email from this factory. They said that some employees have reported seeing a ghost during the graveyard shift, ironic, I know, and it's been tampering with their machinery. So it looks like we're in for another late one tomorrow. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to head home and get plenty of shuteye for this one. Kevin already went home, so make sure you lock up when you leave."

"Will do." Holtz assured.

Erin and Holtzmann both told Abby good night as she made her way back down the stairs and out of the building.

Now it was just the physicist and the engineer alone in the firehouse. Holtz was bopping around her lab, checking the readings on various contraptions and marking them down. Erin wasn't looking forward to pulling an all-nighter tomorrow night, but she had no doubts she'd be able to do it. You don't become a particle physicist and professor at Colombia University by going to bed at a reasonable time. In her college days, all-nighters were commonplace.

Still, though, Erin had yet to bring up Holtzmann's current living situation, and it was getting awfully late. She decided to just cut to the chase, "Hey, Holtz?"

The engineer stopped writing mid sentence and looked up inquisitively, "Yes?"

"So, you know when I came to wake you up this morning, and you were sleeping in your car?" She continued, fiddling with a lone spring on the table in front of her.

"…Yes." Holtz hesitated.

"I..." This was harder to talk about than she had initially imagined, but she needed to say it, "I know that you didn't lock yourself out."

It took a long while for Holtz to answer. She just pretended to scribble something of importance on her clipboard, "What do you mean?"

"Holtzmann, I know you got evicted. I saw the paper on your door this morning."

Holtz was silent for a moment before she brushed it off, "Well, it was bound to happen eventually, right? Truthfully, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

Erin nodded. It was bound to happen, "So, what's your plan now? Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Holtz shrugged, "My car."

"You can't stay in your car," Erin argued, "It's not… you deserve a bed, at least."

"Eh, it's comfortable enough," She went back to examining the scientific equipment.

"But it's not safe." Erin countered, "It's inhumane."

Holtzmann was jotting down numbers, avoiding Erin's gaze, "It's alright; I switched out the windows for bulletproof glass ages ago. Also, it takes cassettes and has-"

"Jillian." Erin interrupted in a calm yet firm voice.

Holtzmann perked up immediately at the sound of her first name. She was only used to hearing it when she was in trouble, and this instance was no exception. Erin hadn't called her Jillian since they became good friends. The radio was still playing, but the room became quiet and tense.

"You can't stay in your car." Erin continued, "I-I can't let you."

Holtzmann sat her clipboard down and moved to the seat across from Erin, "Well then what do you propose, Dr. Gilbert? I already tried getting an apartment at several other buildings, but they've all contacted my previous landlord, and let's just say I'm not exactly a five star restaurant." She removed her yellow tinted glasses. The action was common, but, in this conversation, added a layer of seriousness to Holtzmann's silly persona, "I have no where to go."

Erin didn't even really think, she just spoke, "You can stay with me."

"I don't want to be a burden-"

"You won't." She assured.

Holtz shook her head, "No, really, it's ok, Gilbert. I'm not good company."

Erin placed her hand out on the table between them, "Jillian Holtzmann, you are my friend, and all of the Ghostbusters are my family. I'd do anything for you guys, and you staying at my place for a little while is anything but a burden. It doesn't have to be forever, just until you find a place to stay. Just say yes." She urged.

There was a moment of silence before Holtzmann let out a sigh, "Alright."

Erin was overjoyed, "Yes! Trust me, this is going to be much better than your car."

"Hmm, I don't know, Gilbert," Holtz smirked, "that car is pretty damn comfy."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to know what you're thinking! :)_

* * *

The gravity of the situation didn't hit Erin until she had buckled into the freshly excavated passenger seat of Holtzmann's car. She was taking Holtz to her apartment. She suddenly felt a little dizzy, partly because the wacky blonde had gone around the corner a little too quickly, and partly because she hadn't invited anyone to her place in years. Erin had always been a bit of a loner. Ever since the whole "ghost girl" thing when she was younger, she didn't really go out of her way to form relationships that weren't necessary. Up until she had reunited with Abby and had met Holtz and Patty, her only "friends" were coworkers and the occasional man she'd try to date. Even then, she never felt very close to them. Erin's ability to keep a stable and happy relationship seemed to deteriorate as time went on. Perhaps it was because most men she dated had superiority complexes. Her last serious boyfriend called her emotionally draining before dumping her on Valentine's Day, so Erin usually found comfort in keeping to herself.

Erin now began rethinking inviting Holtzmann to stay over. She had had boyfriends come over and mock her for her obsession with cleanliness when it came to her apartment. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle Holtzmann saying anything negative about it, especially with how much she valued her opinion. Sure, the boyfriends came and went with minimal heartbreak, but what if Holtz thought differently of Erin after seeing her apartment? Erin began to get very anxious.

"Hey," Holtz interjected, bringing Erin back down to earth, "which way am I going?"

"Oh, um, take a right at the next light."

"Ay ay captain!" She saluted; then reached down and turned up the radio, which was playing _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ by Bonnie Tyler. She swayed back and forth and tapped the steering wheel idly.

Erin recognized the tune quickly, "I love this song."

Holtz perked up, "You do?"

Erin nodded, "Yeah, I used to listen to it all the time when it came out."

"I still do," The engineer beamed, "can't beat the classics."

"Well, when you say it like that I feel ancient. Was 1983 really that long ago?"

Holtz shrugged, "Depends how you look at it. According to Abby I never left the 80s."

Erin smiled and let the song play between them. She repositioned her feet amongst the various snack wrappers on the floor. Despite being messy, the car didn't smell bad. It smelled like old leather and faint cologne, which, Erin assumed, was the scent Holtz was wearing. The seats were worn in leather and had oil stains and cigarette burns scattered all over them. Erin initially assumed that they were from the previous owner, but then again, maybe Holtz smoked every once in a while. She started to imagine the blonde in her leather jacket leaning up against the car taking a long drag on a cigarette, puffing out enticing clouds. Erin's cheeks felt hot.

"How about now, professor?" Holtzmann asked.

"Huh?" Erin snapped out of it.

"Which way am I going?"

"Oh, it's down this street, just go straight for a while."

Holtz chuckled and leaned back in her seat, "Easier said than done." She winked.

Erin didn't understand the remark, but then again, she never really picked up on any of Holtzmann's innuendos.

They didn't really talk for the rest of the car ride. The songs changed from Bonnie Tyler to Kansas and everything in between. At one point during the drive, Holtz had rolled down the windows, letting the crisp night air in. She dangled her left arm out the window and tapped out a beat on the steering wheel. Her leather glove squeaked occasionally when she rubbed it against the steering wheel cover of the same material. There was clearly a leather theme going on.

The cold air was drying out Erin's eyes and nipping at her nose, but she didn't really mind. It added to the whole atmosphere and was accented by the calm classics playing through tinny speakers. She felt goose bumps form up and down her bare arms, and she realized that she should have grabbed a jacket. Despite the sound of cars, sirens, and the dull roar that came with any city, she felt very distant from whatever was happening outside of the car. She felt relaxed, and she hadn't felt relaxed in a long time. It wasn't until Holtzmann spoke up that she remembered that their drive had a destination.

"How much further until we reach the pearly gates?"

Erin glanced around, "It's right up here, actually. Just pull into the parking garage across the street."

Holtz did as she was told and parked. It wasn't until they were walking up the path to the building that Erin's anxiety returned.

Holtzmann tagged along behind with a duffle bag slung behind her that smacked the back of her thighs while she walked. She let out a long, low whistle, "This place is the Ritz."

"Oh please, it's not _that_ fancy."

Holtz shook her head, "You and I have two _very_ different definitions of fancy, Gilbert." She noted; looking up at the crème colored building in awe.

The two women rode the elevator up to the top floor. It took all of Holtz's self control not to press every button on the panel as they rode up. The elevator came to a smooth stop at Erin's floor. As they left out the sliding doors, Holtzmann gave into her desire and pressed every single button before she left triumphantly. Erin pulled out her keys. She felt her heart rate skyrocket. She couldn't figure out why she was so nervous to show her apartment to her friend. She trusted Holtzmann with her life, but for some reason, this was almost too much for her. She willed herself through her doubt, keeping the inventor's unfortunate situation in mind, and unlocked the door with a shaky hand. She pushed the door open and walked in, turning on the lights, "Home sweet home."

Holtzmann followed her in and glanced around. Before she could take any more than two steps, Erin stopped her.

"Shoes please!" She chirped as she slipped off her own.

Holtz looked from Erin, to her dirty boots, then to the white carpet, "Oh, whoops, sorry." She bent down and started untying them while Erin scurried over to her coffee table to straighten up some papers she had sitting there. The apartment lay out wasn't very elaborate. The whole unit consisted of a joined kitchen and dining room to the right and a living room to the left. Straight ahead was a short hallway with a door on the left, which was Erin's room, and a door on the right, which was the bathroom. Everything was immaculate, and it gave the impression that perhaps no one was living there.

The inventor hopped up and started walking around in her mismatched socks, taking it all in.

"So," Erin had finished straightening papers and was now standing with her hands behind her back waiting for approval, "what do you think?"

Holtz nodded and shoved her hands into her pockets. She didn't match her surroundings. She was the sole pop of color against the light furniture and white walls; like a splatter of paint on a blank canvas.

"It's very… clean," She observed.

"Yep. I guess that's just me." She nervously rubbed her hands, "I run a pretty tight ship."

Holtzmann smiled warmly, "I like it. It suits you."

Erin felt great relief in her reaction, "Thank you. Are you uh… are you hungry of thirsty or anything?"

Holtz shook her head, "Nope, just a little sleepy."

"Oh, right," Erin went to the plush, white couch and pulled out a blanket from under it, "you can take the couch. Sorry it's not the comfiest couch in the world, but I suppose it'll have to do." She busied herself with fluffing the pillows.

Holtz dropped her bag on the ground beside the couch, "Well, I fell asleep on the roof of a Long John Silver's once, and I'm sure it can't be any worse than that."

"Why did you… how did you…?"

"Long story. Anyway, care to give me the grand tour of the Gilbert Manor? I'd love to see the rest of it."

Erin stopped fluffing, "Oh yeah, I suppose that's a thing you do with new guests. Sorry, I'm an awful host."

"Don't sweat it, you're doing great." Holtz assured in her calming voice.

Erin lingered for a moment on the compliment before leading her around the corner, "Well, here's the bathroom," She flipped on the lights, revealing the matching white bathroom, "There's more toilet paper under the sink and tampons in the bottom drawer if you need any. And feel free to take a shower whenever you need to."

"Noted."

Erin turned off the light and crossed the hall, "And here is my bedroom."

"Ah, so this is where the magic happens." The engineer smirked.

Erin laughed, "If by magic you mean reading until the wee hours of the night, then yes, this is _definitely_ where the magic happens."

"Don't act so innocent Dr. Gilbert," Holtz elbowed her playfully, "Bow-chicka-wow-wow!"

Erin rolled her eyes, "You're ridiculous." She lead Holtz back into the living room, "So, I guess that was the grand tour. I'm assuming you probably want to be getting to bed so you're all rested up for that bust tomorrow."

Holtz made finger guns, "You bet. Thanks for letting me stay over. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Erin assured, "That's what friends are for after all, right?"

"Right." She agreed with a huge grin on her face.

"Well you go ahead and get ready for bed or whatever you need to do."

Holtz nodded and immediately undid her belt and was about ready to pull down her trousers. She had barely pulled them down past her ass when Erin interrupted.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Erin exclaimed, quickly looking away, "At least wait until I leave the room."

She shrugged, "It's ok, I don't mind sharing."

Erin started to back out of the room awkwardly, her face beet red, "I'm going to bed now um, just wake me up if you need anything. Good night!"

"Nighty night." Holtz saluted.

Erin shut her bedroom door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed. She tried to forget about Holtz undressing in the next room and directed her attention somewhere else. Erin looked down at Holtz's t-shirt that she was wearing. It fit her nicely, and there was a splattered stain down on the lower half. She imagined what might have caused the stain. Oil? Ink? It was hard to tell, considering that the engineer got into nearly everything. She grabbed the bottom of the shirt and rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. She knew she'd have to give it back later, but for some reason she didn't really want to. She liked the idea of wearing Holtz's clothes, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

Erin changed into her pajamas and crept across the hall into the bathroom, resisting the urge to look around the corner to see if Holtzmann was still changing. When she finished, she opened the door to leave. She was startled when she almost bumped into the engineer whom was waiting right outside.

"Jesus, you scared me!"

"Yeah, I tend have that affect on people." Holtz admitted. She was now in slouchy sweatpants and a loose shirt, and she was clearly no longer wearing a bra. Her hair was still up, but much looser now. Erin had never seen her in such relaxed attire. She looked down and saw that Holtz had a toothbrush and toothpaste clutched in one hand and scooted to the side to let her in the bathroom, "Go ahead.''

Holtz winked and strutted in, "Thanks Gilbert."

Erin felt her face get hot again for what felt like the hundredth time that night.


	4. Chapter 4

Erin jolted awake at the sound of something clattering to the ground. The sound came from somewhere else in her apartment. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she got out of bed to find out what on earth had made such a loud noise at 6 a.m. She trudged into the hallway and looked into her kitchen to see Holtzmann up on her knees on the counter, digging through the overhead cabinet.

Erin rubbed her sleepy eyes, still registering what was happening, "…Holtz?"

The engineer kept sifting through the cabinet, "This reminds me of that one time I got lost in a Whole Foods store… it was like, the third worst day of my life. But I gotta hand it to you; your pantry is certainly giving that day a run for its money." She held up a box of bran cereal and sneered, "Who even eats this stuff?"

Erin snatched the box away, "I do!"

Holtz shook her head, causing her loosely pinned hair to wobble back and forth as she hopped down. She spoke as she wandered around, "Where's the chips and candy? Pop Tarts, Eggos, Pringles, Twinkies…" She listed as she marched over to the refrigerator, opened it, and stared at the contents, dumbfounded, "You don't even have Snack Packs!" She threw her hands up, exasperated.

It was now Erin's turn to be disgusted, "Why on earth would I have any of that processed garbage? You just described the dream pantry of a three-year-old; nothing but sugar and high-fructose corn syrup."

Holtz shut the fridge and put a hand on her hip, "I happen to enjoy processed garbage, thank you very much."

"Well, if you keep eating like that you'll die of a heart attack." Erin warned.

Holtz slipped back into her chill demeanor, "That wouldn't be such a bad thing I guess. Then I'd get to come back as a ghost and haunt you," She said in a silly voice, "and your old lady cereal too!" She danced around as if she were a ghost, and snatched the cereal box. Holtzmann made ghost noises as she danced around with the box.

Erin crossed her arms and tried, in vain, to hold back a smile, "Oh, so that's what possessed cereal is like?"

A smirk grew on the blonde's face; it was one that was evident of something mischievous, "No, actually, it's more like this-" She reached inside the box and grabbed a handful, tossing it in Erin's face, "Boo!"

Erin dusted some of the cereal off of her shirt while Holtz just giggled and kept gyrating around.

"Oh you are so gonna get it," Erin growled as she lurched forward and tried to grab Holtzmann, but the engineer was quick on her feet and slipped out of her grip. Holtz dashed off and ran around the dining room table with Erin hot on her tail.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to play with your food?" The physicist asked as they circled the table.

"This is _not_ food." She shook the box for emphasis.

"It's an important part of a balanced breakfast and it improves digestive health!" Erin argued.

"Phhht, what a load of bologna! I ate a toy car when I was four and I haven't seen in since, and look at me, I turned out just fine!"

Erin was taken aback, "Oh… oh my God, you should probably seek medical attention-"

Holtz used the distraction to bolt into the living room and take a few more laps around the apartment. Erin followed in suit, and every time she thought she had her, the blonde would slip out of her grip like some sort of elusive liquid. Erin came to a sudden stop in the middle of the living room. She hunched over, hands on her knees, and wheezed, clearly out of breath.

Holtz noticed and came to a stop as well, "Hey, are you ok? Did I wear you out?" She placed a gentle hand on Erin's back.

Suddenly, Erin spun around and tackled her. She pinned the slippery blonde to the ground. She had her knees on either side of Holtz's hips and held the engineer's arms firmly to the ground. She looked at her triumphantly, "Gottcha."

Holtz seemed to be in shock, or at least, Erin thought it was shock. The engineer just stared back, her pupils dilated and her breathing seemed to stop, which was strange, given that she was just running around. It took a few moments for Holtz's mind to come back from wherever it was. She tried to slip back into her easygoing self, but there was still a little waver in her voice, "W-Wow Gilbert. You got me good. You're faster than I thought."

Erin sat up, letting go of her arms, but still sitting on her hips, "That's because I don't eat processed garbage."

Holtz sat up on her elbows and smirked, "Hey, I said you were faster than I thought, not that you were faster than me."

"Agree to disagree." She shrugged.

The two sat in silence for a moment. Erin suddenly became very aware of the position they were in, but in that moment, it didn't bother her as much as it would've a while ago. There was something instinctual about the intimate position, and Erin couldn't figure out why on earth it felt so right. Holtz shifted and sat up more, now leaning on her hands, "You know, I've never seen you let loose like that," her eyes were no longer locked to Erin's eyes, but instead were gracing the exposed skin down her neck and collar bone, "it's nice to see you _let loose_." She drawled.

Erin felt her face get incredibly hot and she quickly stood up while Holtzmann, chuckling to herself, laid back down with her hands behind her head, and reveled in the effect she had.

"I'll be right back." Erin announced as she shuffled back into the kitchen and swept up the flakes of cereal from the linoleum. She grabbed a disposable disinfectant wipe from a dispenser she had on the counter and squatted down, scrubbing in meaningless circles on the floor. She wasn't even entirely sure why she was doing it; the floor had already been bleached of any possible germs the other day. She just focused in on the small circles she was making, only sensing the swishing of the wipe and the strong citrus scent. Although she refused to admit it, her cleaning had become a coping mechanism. When she became anxious, she scrubbed the counters; when she became stressed, she deep cleaned the bathroom; and when she became frustrated, she vacuumed. Cleaning was a fantastic distraction from whatever might be troubling her. Her therapist was concerned about the constant cleaning possibly becoming an obsession, but it was much better than the alternative. Cleaning brought Erin comfort and gave her something productive to do. She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to scrub the linoleum, though. She had never gotten this way around the other Ghostbusters before, except for once when she was a child and Abby had spent the night. For the most part, Erin had been able to hide this part of her. She could hear a distant murmur, but she ignored it, focusing on her circles. She could feel the tips of her fingers getting sore, and her knees aching, but she was in a trance. The only thing that managed to break the trance was Holtz's touch and gentle voice.

"Erin?" She cooed, touching the brunette's shoulder.

Erin came back down to earth, finally noticing her surroundings. She managed to rub a hole through the disposable rag, and the ache in her knees suddenly became unbearable. She rose and faced Holtz, "Hmm?"

"Are you ok? I called your name a couple of times but you didn't answer." She was clearly concerned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She walked over to the trashcan and tossed the rag in.

"You sure, Gilbert?"

Erin plastered on a face smile, "Yes, I'm sure. Now, how about we go out for breakfast? There's nothing good here anyway."

Erin knew she had successfully evaded the topic when she saw Holtzmann's face light up, "Now you're talking! Holtzy needs some bacon!" She scurried into the bathroom to change. She immerged a few minutes later and rushed Erin, who was still tying her shoes, out the door. Holtz didn't even have time to find matching clothes, although, most of the time, it was difficult to tell if she had worn mismatched clothes intentionally or not.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Sorry this took so long! I've been really busy lately. Anyway, thanks for reading and leave a comment if you'd like. I love hearing what the readers have to say!_

* * *

The whole room was illuminated with moonlight that poured through the high windows. All of the machinery that had been running a few hours ago now looked as if it had been abandoned for years. The only audible sound was the eerie, faint clanging of metal on the other side of the factory. Erin was still recovering from the case they were on earlier. Chasing a ghost paperboy on a bicycle for three city blocks really wore her out, and the undead train conductor from earlier that morning didn't make it much better. It also didn't help that she was woken up earlier than expected because her kitchen was being torn apart by a ravenous animal, better known as Holtzmann. The cereal chase was all good and fun, and the breakfast they had really hit the spot. Holtzmann ate more than enough bacon for the two of them, and, in between bites, told the story of when she crashed her friend's motorcycle in high school.

Apparently, when her friend let her borrow the bike for a weekend, she totaled the thing. Holtz didn't know what to do, because she didn't want her friend to be angry with her, so she hid it behind her house and told her friend that aliens took it. Her friend didn't take the news well, though. Holtz felt guilty, and she didn't have the money to send it into a shop or buy a new one, so she taught herself how to fix it. A few months later, she brought it to her friend and said that the aliens were sorry.

Erin thought it was a cute story, and she found Holtz's dedication to her friends endearing, "That was a really nice thing for you to do."

Holtzmann finished a long sip from her coffee, "She didn't think so. She didn't want to be my friend anymore after that."

Erin scoffed, "Even after you went to all that trouble of fixing her motorcycle?"

"Yep."

"I'm sorry." Erin pushed some of her scrambled eggs around on her plate.

"Meh, it's fine. That's how most of my friendships end; I'm used to it. Abby is the only real friend I've ever had. At least until I met you and Patty." Holtz took a bite of her greasy bacon.

There was a brief pause in the conversation while they chewed.

"What was her name?" Erin asked.

Holtzmann drug out her name and had a little venom behind it, " _Natasha_."

"Well, Natasha sounds like a bitch." Erin chirped.

"Oh yeah, big time. She was like a female Danny Zuko, and I was a nameless background character. She mostly just kept me around for comic relief. I thought that maybe she actually saw something in me and really liked me, but I just ended up being the butt of her jokes." Holtz held her mug up to her face and muttered some things, just barely audible, before taking a big gulp, " _Stupid Natasha with her stupid leather pants_."

"If I was Natasha, I would have appreciated you fixing up the bike, and I wouldn't make you the butt of my jokes. You deserve better than that."

Holtzmann smiled, "Thanks Gilbert."

Erin always liked the conversations she had with Holtz. They were always interesting, and sometimes led to personal stuff about Holtzmann's past that she didn't know. The rest of their breakfast went off without a hitch, and Erin felt a little closer to that mystery of a woman.

Now, though, Erin was more concerned with the mystery of a ghost that was lurking somewhere in the factory. It was well past midnight and she was dragging. She crept across the factory floor carefully, making sure that she didn't make any noises that would give away her position. It wasn't her idea to split up, but given the scale of the factory, they needed to if they wanted to catch the ramped ghost. She tried to keep her breathing steady and her mind focused. She glanced around the room, looking for any indication of the paranormal. A door at the far end of the ill-lit factory caught her attention. It looked as if it led to some sort of control room for all of the machines. Just as she had made up her mind to go investigate it, she heard something metal fall on the floor, shattering the tense silence. Erin jumped and quickly turned; pointing her proton gun in the direction the clatter had come from. She held her breath. It was silent, except for the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She waited for the surge of adrenalin that just shocked her system to subside before taking another step forward. She followed the source of the noise until she found herself up against one of the larger pieces of machinery. There was something rustling just around the corner. Erin took three deep breaths and put her thumb on the trigger of her proton gun; ready to face whatever was right around the corner. In one quick movement, she jumped around the corner and came face to face with Jillian Holtzmann.

Holtzy stared cross-eyed at the barrel of Erin's gun that was less than an inch away from her nose, and then she looked up at Erin. Holtz had an armload of potato chip bags and one dangling from her mouth. Both women stared with wide eyes, in shock.

Holtzmann dropped the bag from her mouth, "…They make potato chips here."

Erin quickly lowered her weapon, "J-Jesus Christ Holtzmann… I could have killed you!"

The engineer looked at the gun and back up at Erin once more. A smirk flashed across her face, "Yeah, I guess you could've."

"C'mon, we need to keep moving if we want to catch this thing before sunrise. Put those back and come with me." Erin ordered.

Holtz groaned, "But I need a snack."

"That doesn't mean you can just steal a bunch of chips!" Erin argued, careful to keep her volume low.

"It's not stealing if I need to take them back to the lab for further analysis." The blonde countered smugly.

Erin just gave her a stern look. Holtz let out a heavy sigh and dropped her treasure back onto a conveyer belt. She turned back around, displaying her empty hands.

"All of it." Erin said.

"That is all of it."

Erin just shot another look her way, making Holtzmann let out another heavy sigh. She reached down the front of her jump suit and removed several bags, tossing them with the rest.

"Thank you," Erin nodded, "now come with me. I saw a door over here and-" She stopped mid sentence when she turned around and noticed that the door was now wide open.

"Was that… open earlier?" Holtz asked.

Erin slowly shook her head and started to creep over to the mysterious room. She leaned in the doorway and looked around. There was an array of control panels and levers, a one-way window looking out over the factory floor, and no sign of the paranormal. Holtz flipped on the light an immediately spotted an intercom. While Erin inspected some gauges on the wall, Holtz seized the opportunity to lighten the mood. She pressed the button on the intercom and leaned in close, "Clean up on isle three!"

Her voice rang out loud and clear throughout the factory floor. Erin, who wasn't surprised that Holtz had managed to find the loudest thing in the room, snatched the intercom away, "Holtzmann!" She scolded, "Need I remind you that this is a stealth mission? You're blowing our cover!"

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Besides, we've been in here for over an hour and we haven't even spotted the ghost yet. What's gotten into you, Captain Buzzkill?" Holtz asked, placing a cute, yet defiant hand on her hip.

Erin closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, "It's just… we've been working practically nonstop since the whole portal incident, and this is our third all-nighter this week. I'm just stressed out. I'm ready to just go home and go to sleep."

Holtzmann nodded, "Well, there's your problem, you're overworked. Just do what I do and make it fun."

"Easier said than done." Erin admitted.

"Hmm," Holtz thought for a moment, "here, let me give you an example." She smiled slyly as she held out her hand for the intercom. Erin reluctantly handed it over, and she immediately regretted her decision when she saw Holtzy bring the microphone to her rear. Wind broke throughout the factory.

"Oh my God, Holtzmann!" She tried, in vain, to stifle her laughter at the childish act. She gave the engineer a playful shove, "What did you eat?"

Holtz, who was cracking up, offered a shrug, "I don't know!"

The two women just kept laughing. The kind of laughter where just looking at each other made them laugh, and they couldn't stop until they had forgotten what was even so funny in the first place. They had completely forgotten about the mission at hand as well; they were only aware of the breaker box coated walls that surrounded them, and the comfortable space between them. Erin hadn't allowed herself to have fun like that ever since the portal, and it felt good to let loose.

Erin shook her head and wiped away the tears that were welling in her eyes from laughing too hard, "I don't know why I'm laughing. I'm an adult, this shouldn't be funny."

Holtzmann shrugged again, also wiping away tears. She gave a surprisingly serious answer, "Some of us never really got to act like kids."

The comment caught Erin off guard. She immediately thought back to when she was younger and traumatized by the old woman who would stand at the foot of her bed every night. She stopped laughing.

Holtz could tell that she had accidentally stuck a nerve. She tried to recover the fleeting fun, "Here," she held out the intercom, "you give it a try."

Erin leaned away, "There is _no_ way I'm putting that near my mouth."

The witty engineer was about ready to make an inappropriate comment when the door to the room slammed shut. Both women jumped, and Erin instinctually grabbed Holtzmann's arm tightly. Suddenly, all of the switches in the room started flipping, and the loud whirr of machinery filled the factory. Erin looked out the window and could see a glowing blue figure appearing out of thin air. The ghost looked mangled and torn up, as if he had gotten stuck in one of the machines.

"I see it! There it is!" She pointed. Se went to the door and tried desperately to push it open, but it was no use, "Damn it, this was a trap the whole time!" Erin backed up and rammed into the door to try to open it, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Holtzmann was trying a different approach, "Excuse me, Mr. Ghost, sir," she said into the intercom, "Jillian Holtzmann, Radio Times. It would appear that you've locked us in this room. Any chance you could, oh, I don't know, let us out?"

The figure let out a loud, angry roar and started flying around. He began tearing machines apart, ripping up conveyers and pulling off panels.

"Okay, thank you for your time." She turned off the intercom and turned towards Erin, "I don't think he plans on letting us out anytime soon…"

"You don't say," Erin said sarcastically, "come help me with the door." She backed up to take another run at it, but Holtz stopped her.

"Don't hurt yourself; I got this one." Holtz reached into her mess of curls that and yanked out two Bobbie pins. She knelt down, unfolded the pins, and went to work on the lock. She was so nonchalant about the act that it seemed almost routine.

"Wait, you know how to pick a lock?" Erin asked.

Holtz let out a chuckle, "You say that like you're surprised." She made weird faces as she worked.

"Honestly, nothing about you surprises me anymore." Erin admitted. What she wouldn't admit, mostly to herself, was that the whole "bad girl" trope was kind of hot.

"It's a nice skill to have." Holtz piped up, "Let's just say I've had to break out of handcuffs a few times."

"You've been arrested before?"

Holtz looked up, confused, "Arrested?"

The distinctive sound of Patty and Abby shouting caught their attention. The ruckus of the ghost having his way with the machines must have led them there. Both busters had charged their proton packs and opened fire on the specter.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon." Erin muttered anxiously.

Suddenly, Holtz hopped to her feet and pushed the door open. The two busters ran out to join the action.

"Welcome to the party!" Abby greeted as she lassoed the apparition with her proton stream.

"Yeah, while you two was busy playing 7 minutes in heaven, we've been out here catchin' a ghost!" Patty shouted.

The specter struggled and broke free, soaring across the room. It effortlessly dodged oncoming streams and swooped down, grabbing Erin by the throat. Erin tried to pry the icy hands off of her neck, but she was being jerked around and quickly running out of breath. The ghost flew up to the rafters and looked down at the remaining trio. None of them dared to fire at the ghost because they didn't want to accidently shoot Erin, who was more or less being used as a human shield. The spirit brought Erin to eye level and looked her up and down. Erin continued to struggle, pulling at the transparent hand that was choking her. The ghost's expression changed from malice joy to recognition. Its voice bellowed as it spat, "Erin Gilbert."

An involuntary shiver went down Erin's spine as she heard her name uttered from the unfamiliar specter's lips.

The ghost began grinning again, "She's been looking for you."

Her head started to feel foggy from the lack of oxygen. She slowly reached one of her hands into her back pocket, and grabbed a proton grenade. With her fleeting strength, she brought the grenade between them and clicked the button. At 5 seconds left on the timer, the ghost noticed the grenade. 4 seconds left, the ghost realized what Erin was doing. 3 seconds left, Erin latched an arm around the ghost's neck. 2 seconds left, Erin took a deep breath as the ghost released her and she dangled from its shoulders. 1 second left, the ghost tried to fly away. As the timer hit zero, Erin let go. She closed her eyes as she heard the spirit screeching and then nothing. She kept her eyes closed as she felt herself falling, and she tensed up, bracing herself for impact. She came crashing down on a conveyer belt as her heavy pack broke her fall. The little air she had managed to suck in on her way down was knocked out of her when she landed flat on her back, and she lay there wheezing. After a few moments, Erin opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, but she could see the ghost wrapped up in two proton streams as it was lowered into a ghost trap. As soon as it was captured, the three remaining busters came rushing over. Patty knelt down and was saying something, but Erin's hearing was still recovering from the blast of the proton grenade, so everything was muffled. Abby was feeling the physicist's forehead as if that would somehow indicate if she was well or not. Holtzmann reached for Erin's hand, squeezing it tightly while she said something urgently, but Erin could only make out the last few words as her hearing returned, "… _please be okay_."

Although her head was still reeling, she managed to muddle through a reply, "Of… course... I'm okay."

Holtz quickly unstrapped Erin's pack, and all three busters helped her get to her feet. Her head was pounding. Abby pulled Erin into a tight embrace, "Oh my God, Erin, you scared me to death. I though you were seriously injured or concussed or worse."

"I thought you were dead!" Patty chimed in.

Erin smiled at them, "Nope, I'm still kicking." Her focus shifted over to Holtzmann who was standing back from the group. Her face was unreadable.

As Abby released Erin, they all noticed Holtz's odd behavior.

"What's wrong?" Erin asked.

The engineer let out a shaky breath, "That was… dangerous and stupid and…" She trailed off and everyone was convinced that she was angry until she continued, "… and the most badass thing I've ever seen!"

They all perked up at her change of tone.

"You made that ghost scream like a little girl! It was so awesome!" She was bursting at the seams with excitement. Abby and Patty joined in, commenting on Erin's bravery and badassery as they made their way back to the Ecto-1. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Holtzmann made an announcement.

"Hey guys!" She sat her duffle bag between all of them, "Who's hungry?" She undid the zipper, revealing the dozens of bags of chips. Erin gave Holtz a look, and the cocky engineer just shrugged. She couldn't really be mad; what else did she expect? Erin put her inhibitions to the side and indulged with the rest of her friends, laughing and eating all the way back to headquarters. There was one thing that Erin couldn't stop thinking about, though.

 _Erin Gilbert. She's been looking for you._


	6. Chapter 6

Erin trudged in the door, kicked off her shoes, and lowered herself into her plush armchair. Holtzmann did the same thing, except she sat herself down on the couch. The factory bust had taken a lot out of everyone. The two women both let out a heavy sigh and relaxed for the first time that night.

Holtz took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, "What time is it?"

Erin glanced at the clock on the wall, "2:15" She said as she let out a contagious yawn.

The engineer groaned and laid down on the couch, muttering something under her breath. Erin couldn't help but smile at the sleepy blonde nesting into her couch. She started to stand; "I should probably go to bed-" She winced at the shooting pain in her lower back, "Fuck!"

Holtzmann immediately perked up and was quickly on her feet, "What's wrong?"

Erin made a shooing motion, "It's nothing, I'm fine," she stood hunched over, gripping her lower back, "I think the fall messed up my back a little, that's all."

"Here, let me look at it." She led Erin to the couch and turned her so she was facing Erin's back. Holtz began to lift Erin's shirt gingerly. Erin felt her heart rate increase as she became more nervous. She could feel cold fingertips ever so gently tracing a shape on her lower back and it sent a shiver up her spine. The engineer let out a long, low whistle.

"What does it look like?" Erin asked.

"Well, if you turn your head to the side, it kind of looks like George Washington… if he got hit in the face with a baseball bat." Holtz concurred.

"What? That's not what I meant; what's wrong with it?" Erin persisted.

"You've got a pretty nasty bruise. It looks like it's swelling quite a bit, too. Stay right here." She ordered as she got up from the couch and moved into the kitchen. It took a few moments before she returned. She held a bag of frozen peas in one hand and extended the other one for Erin. Erin reluctantly grabbed the blonde's hand, and she was surprised to find that it wasn't as rough and calloused as she had imagined it would be. In fact, Holtzmann's hand was quite soft. She led her to the bedroom, and motioned for Erin to lie down. Erin obeyed and, with only a few whines from the pain, laid down on her stomach. Holtzmann gently placed the frozen peas on the injured part of Erin's back.

"Thank you." Erin sighed, feeling her tiredness taking over.

"Not a problem," Holtz sat on the edge of the bed and cautiously began rubbing Erin's upper back, steering clear of the lower half, "I mean, you blew yourself up today, you deserve it."

Erin closed her eyes and sighed as she melted under the massage. Her words became slurred by her grogginess, "But you blow yourself up just about everyday, I can't imagine this being very impressive to you."

"I don't do it on purpose, though," She started to work at Erin's shoulders, "that takes guts, girl."

"Or at least a lot of stupidity." Erin countered very softly.

"If it gets the job done, it gets the job done." She shrugged.

Erin didn't answer; she had drifted off. The frozen peas on her back and Holtz making small circles had lulled her to sleep. It was the first night in weeks that Erin didn't have a nightmare.

* * *

Erin awoke the next morning not to the sound of her alarm, but rather to rays of sunlight warming her face. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body ached. She opened her eyes slowly, and was startled by the sight of nothing but neon green. She jumped at first, but then quickly realized that something had been stuck to her forehead and was covering her eyes. She reached up and pealed a green sticky note off of her forehead. She flipped it around to reveal a message. The note said:

 _I shut off your alarm_

 _so you could sleep in_

Erin followed the arrow with her eyes to her nightstand, where a container of Ibuprofen and a glass of water had been set out. Attached to the Ibuprofen was a second sticky note.

 _I figured you'd be_

 _pretty sore._

 _Enjoy!_

Holtzmann had signed the bottom of the note with a doodle of herself lighting something on fire. Erin chuckled and reached for the bottle. As she stretched, she felt achy from head to toe and was grateful for Holtzy's intuition. She tossed a couple of the pills in her mouth and knocked them back with a swig of water. It took all of her strength to pull herself out of bed and get to her feet. She got showered and dressed at a slower pace than usual, but she was not going to let her soreness stop her from getting her job done. Holtzmann was nowhere to be seen in the apartment, so Erin assumed that she had gone to work. Erin put on her coat and grabbed her satchel full of books and papers. Just as she reached for the door to leave, it swung open to reveal Holtz with an enormous box of donuts.

"Oh, hello." Erin greeted, a little startled, "I thought you were at HQ."

Holtz shook her head, "Nope, just getting breakfast." She held up the box as she entered the apartment, "Where are you off to?"

"I was just going to head in and work on a few things."

"Oh no you aren't," Holtzy said, "Everyone is taking today off, and that includes you, Gilbert."

Erin let out a heavy sigh and very reluctantly agreed to _some_ relaxation, but she insisted on doing some work from home. They sat in the dining room and started in on the donuts from the bakery down the street. Holtzmann focused on licking all of the frosting off of hers while Erin opened up her laptop to work.

"How are you feeling?" The blonde asked.

"I'm a little sore," Erin admitted while she typed away on her keyboard, "but the medicine should be kicking in soon." She looked up and smiled, "Thank you. And thank you for the donuts too."

Holtz winked as she made a slow lap around her donut with her tongue, and Erin pretended it didn't affect her.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Holtzmann sat up and pulled out her wallet from her pocket. She retrieved a couple of larger bills, sat them on the table, and pushed them towards Erin, "Here; for rent."

Erin pushed the money back, "You don't have to pay rent, Holtzy."

"I insist," She pushed the money back towards Erin again, "I'm living here, using water, and using electricity. I can't stand to be a freeloader, and I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden." Erin replied almost too quickly, "I mean, you've only been here for less than a week, but it's nice to have someone to come home to, you know? I'm just so used to either having wishy-washy boyfriends in and out, or being here all by myself. It's comforting to know that there's someone who cares if I make it home or not," Erin just kept talking and couldn't really stop herself. Her inhibitions seemed to have disappeared, "And you're not a freeloader because you bring me donuts and drive me places. Also, you keep me company, and I love having you around. That's the most I can ask for. If anything, I owe you. It gets unbearably lonely around here sometimes and you make all of it go away."

For once, it was Holtzmann who was at a loss for words. She looked surprised at the confession. There was a long pause, and Erin began to wonder if she had said too much.

Erin broke the silence, "Sorry, I just-"

"It's ok," Holtzmann interrupted as she began to smile, "it got pretty lonely at my place too."

The two women shared a comfortable silence as they ate their donuts. Several minutes passed before Holtz spoke up, "You know, this is how I used to spend every Saturday morning when I was a kid. I would eat as many donuts as I could until I felt like I was going to barf. I guess that explains some of my eating habits." She chuckled, " I still do it occasionally. God, I love donuts."

"I used to spend every Saturday morning doing chores." Erin frowned at her half eaten donut.

"Really?"

"Yeah," She admitted, "my parents ran a tight ship. No room for messes."

"That sounds awful." Holtz shook her head.

"It was kind of fun, I guess. It taught me responsibility."

Holtz shuttered, "Ugh, I hate that word."

"Of course you do," Erin smiled, "what, did your parents never make you do chores?"

"Oh no, I did chores. I just didn't enjoy them, unlike you, Gilbert." Holtz assured.

"What's wrong with enjoying chores?" Erin asked, pretending to be very offended.

Holtz laughed and shook her head, "So many things."

Erin kicked her playfully, "You shut up!"

"Or what?" The engineer giggled, "You gonna clean me or something?"

"Don't give me any ideas."

Holtz leaned back in her chair, quite proud of herself, and propped her feet up on the table, "So what do you do for fun around here, Gilbert?"

Erin had returned to her laptop, "I read mostly."

"Thrilling."

"I know, right?" Erin said sarcastically, "Sometimes, when I'm feeling really wild, I'll watch TV."

"Wow, Gilbert! You really like to live life on the edge!" She punched her shoulder softly.

"I try. I would ask you what you do for fun, but I don't think I want to know the answer."

Holtz smirked, "Good choice. C'mon, Gilbert, there's got to be something really exciting that you do in your free time."

Erin shrugged, "Not really. Our job is enough excitement for me."

Holtzmann thought for a moment, "Is there anything interesting that you really like to do? Like raves, demolition derbies, skydiving, snowboarding; anything like that?"

"Sometimes I go to the art museum to look at all of the paintings and sculptures."

"Well then," Holtzy hopped up from her seat, "let's go to the museum!"

"But I really need to work on this." Erin gestured to her computer.

Holtz reached over and shut the laptop, "It's your day off, let's get wild!"

"Do you really consider the museum wild?"

"Well when you're travelling with me, everything is wild." Holtz admitted. She held out a hand and wiggled her eyebrows, "C'mon, Gilbert, let's go be wild together!"

Erin rolled her eyes and took the over-excited woman's hand. She found it hard to say no to her. They left the apartment together, and Holtzy bounded across the street towards the parking garage while Erin took her time. Erin followed the bouncy blonde up to the second level of the parking garage and nearly bumped into her when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked.

Holtzmann didn't answer, she just stared wide-eyed at the empty parking spot in front of her. She clutched her messy hair with both hands.

Erin looked around, "Where's your car?"

"That's a good question." Holtz finally said. She looked up and down the rows of cars.

"Well where did you park it?"

Holtzy pointed at the empty parking spot.

"Oh no," Erin finally realized what had happened, "do you have your keys?"

Holtzmann franticly searched her pockets, but all she could find were a few hot sauce packets from Taco Bell, "… I think I left them in the car."

Holtz dropped to her hands and knees and began sniffing the ground. "I definitely parked it here." She concluded.

Erin was utterly confused, "Do your tires have a specific scent or something?"

"Oh yeah, and it's not a pleasant one, that's how I know this is where I parked it," She sat down on the cold concrete and rubbed at her eyes under her glasses, "Fuck me. I had some good parts in there."

Erin whipped out her cell phone and started dialing.

Holtz looked up, "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling the police to tell them that someone stole your car." An operator answered on the other end, "Hello? I'd like to report a stolen vehicle-"  
Holtzmann panicked, jumped up to her feet, and yanked the phone out of Erin's hand.

"What are you doing?" Erin asked.

"Hello? Ma'am?" The operator said on the other end of the phone.

Holtzmann shouted into the phone, "THERE'S A BOMB IN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!" and quickly hung up.

"Holtzmann!" Erin was flabbergasted, "What the hell was that!"

"Listen," She leaned in and lowered her voice, "I didn't exactly get that car through… legal means…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erin insisted.

Holtz shrugged and made a face, "I kind of won it from a guy named Machete back when I used to bet on mouse races in this old bar in Boston, and I'm pretty sure he killed a guy for it."

Erin rubbed her temples, "Of course you drive a stolen car, what else would I expect my crazy roommate to drive-"

"Hey, I'm not the crazy one! Machete is the one who killed a guy, I'm just good at betting."

"But still, the fact that you drive a stolen car is not a good reason for telling the cops that there's a bomb in the Empire State Building!" Erin shouted.

"I had to throw them off so they don't investigate my car!" She defended herself.

"You could've just hung up! God, now they're probably going to trace that call back to my phone…" Erin felt her heart start to sink.

"Don't worry about it," Holtzy placed an affirming hand on Erin's shoulder, "I'm sure they get crackpot calls like that all the time."

Suddenly, Erin's phone started ringing and her heart dropped immediately. She was relieved when she read the caller ID and found out that it was just Abby. She answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Erin," Abby said, "sorry to disturb your peaceful day off."

"Trust me, it has already been disturbed. What do you need?"

"You might want to get down here."

"What?"

"Well, I came into HQ this morning to grab a few things, and Kevin was here. I told him he didn't need to be here because we were all taking the day off, but he told me someone left us a note." Abby explained.

"And?"

"And it was written… in blood… all over the wall."

* * *

 _A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Fair warning, the next chapter is going to be a little emotional. Also, there's going to be some Holtzbert in the near future ;) Thanks again! Please leave a comment, I like to know what you guys are thinking, and I'm open to suggestions!  
_


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